Addiction

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively use a substance or engage in an activity despite the harm it causes to the person’s life, relationships, responsibilities, or health. Addictions can involve drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, food, and internet use, among other behaviors. An addiction can be physical – when the body actually adapts to the presence of a substance - or psychological – when the behavior is associated with stress or emotional states and not biological changes to the brain or body.

People of all ages, life stages, and socioeconomic strata can be affected by addiction. A combination of genetic, environmental, and developmental factors likely contributes to and increases the risk of addiction. You are more likely to experience addiction if you:

• Have parents or older family members who suffer from addiction or are involved in criminal behavior
• Have friends who suffer from addiction
• Experience academic failures or have poor social skills
• Have unstable family relationships
• Have mental illness
• Experienced trauma or abuse

Addiction can be treated, but there is no cure. It is a long-term disease that people must learn to manage. Most treatment plans for addiction involve behavioral changes, cognitive therapy, and rehabilitation programs. Some types of addiction respond to medications.

There are no specific causes of addiction. There is no way to accurately predict who will become dependent on the use of a substance or activity.

Any substance or activity that is pleasurable can become an addiction by impacting the reward, motivation, and memory pathways of the brain.

Reach out to a doctor, pharmacist, or counselor if you cannot cut back despite wanting to, or if use is harming your health, work, or relationships. Call or text 988 if you have thoughts of harming yourself, and call 911 for signs of an overdose.